Love Will Find A Way
by SpeedlesChic
Summary: Tim Speedle's life changed when his girlfriend was ripped away from him. Will love find its way back after many years apart? Read along & find out.
1. Prologue

The waves of Rockaway Beach in Jamaica Queens, New York crashed against the sandy beach. Summer was almost over, and the nights were slowly becoming cooler. For Tim 'Speed' Speedle and his childhood friend and longtime girlfriend, it would be their last summer night together.

The following morning she, along with her mother and father would be leaving for England; she would be attending Oxford University. None of this had been in the couple's plans, but it wasn't their choice; their dream of going to Columbia University was no longer realistic. Lauren's father had been given a job opportunity overseas, and he decided to take it without consulting his now, eighteen year old daughter.

Neither of them knew what life would bring after they parted ways, but what they hoped for was to find each other again.

"What's going to happen to us?" Lauren Carry asked, tears streaming down her cheeks. She held onto her boyfriend tight never wanting to let him go. "We've never really been apart from each other," she added wiping the tears away.

Speed found it hard to speak. His throat felt like it was closing up, but he managed to say, "I hope nothing will, baby girl. I hope nothing will. I love you… I love you." Tears now fell down his cheeks too.

Neither Speed nor Lauren wanted to say the words that needed to be said; ending their relationship would be the best decision. They didn't know if they would ever see each other again, and there was no point in waiting for one or the other to come back. "Lauren-"

"Please Timmy, I know what you're going to say," Lauren said as she closed her eyes. "I don't want that, but I know it needs to happen. We can't just sit around waiting for each other even though that's what we want." She began to sob in his lap.

"I know baby, I know." He began to cry a little harder.

* * *

Morning came all too quickly for Lauren and Speed. Lauren hadn't gotten much sleep that night. All she could think about was finding a way to get out of moving far away. After all she was a legal adult, but that didn't matter. Her parents were controlling and strict; the total opposite of Speed's parents. The truth was she was afraid to ask her parents if she could stay. She didn't know why, because she had no problem standing up to anyone else. She guessed it was because they were her parents.

Tears began to fall from her eyes again as she felt Speed's arm wrap around her waist; they had spent their last night together at his parents' place. She intertwined her fingers with his, and he pulled her closer to his body. "I don't want to go, Timmy. I don't want to leave!" she cried out.

"Then don't… stay here. You can stay with me and my parents," he said.

Lauren shook her head. "I can't. I have to go. You know my parents. If they found out I would be staying with you…" she trailed off. Lauren's parents never liked Speed. She never understood why; they never told her their reasons. In fact Lauren didn't even know why they cared, because they would act, sometimes like she wasn't even there. Lauren sometimes felt like she was born into the wrong family.

"Screw your parents. They don't care about you. Please, stay Lauren… don't leave." Speed was now heavily crying.

"I can't Timmy… t-t-they'll d-drag me outta here. You know that," she stuttered.

A soft knock hit Speed's bedroom door followed by the voice of his mother. "Honey, Lauren's parents are here. It's time to go," Mrs. Speedle said with great sadness.

Lauren moved to get out of bed and get dressed, but Speed held her tight against his body. "Timmy… I-I need to get dressed," Lauren said quietly. He kissed her shoulder softly and let her go. She grabbed her jeans and t-shirt and slipped them on; he did the same. Speed then went on to help Lauren gather up her things before they headed outside.

Darrell Carry, her father, grabbed his daughter's things and threw them in the trunk of their waiting cab. Lauren's mother, Regina Carry, had been sitting in the car waiting. "Let's go Lauren! We don't want to be late!" he shouted from the car.

"No, dad please I don't want to go. Please let me stay here," Lauren pleaded.

"You don't have a choice missy. Say your goodbyes and let's go!"

Lauren's bottom lip started to quiver. "Daddy, you don't understand. I can't just say goodbye!"

Darrell clenched his jaw and stomped up to his daughter, grabbed her by the arm, and started pulling her toward the cab. "Let go of me… ow, stop you're hurting me." Lauren wiggled her arm back and forth until it was free. She immediately ran back to a tear stricken Speed, who was having a hard time keeping himself composed.

Lauren wrapped her arms around her boyfriend, and held onto him tight and cried. "I don't want to leave," was all she could say. Speed rested his head in the nape of her neck letting his tears break free.

"You listen to me right now young lady! If you are note over here in two minutes-"

"ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT!" Lauren shouted. She turned back to Speed and looked up into his sad brown eyes.

He cupped both sides of her face and leaned forward to kiss her one last time. "I love you, you know that." Lauren nodded her head yes. "I want you to move on and not wait… be-because-" He couldn't speak anymore; it was too hard. He soon found his voice again. "Just remember that I love you very very much, and that… that love will find a way. Don't give up, but in the meantime try and have some fun. Do what you need to do, and if it means dating another guy then do it… okay?"

Lauren nodded her head and said, "You too and I love you, please don't forget me. I hope love will find its way."

With that, they let go as Darrell grabbed Lauren by her arm again and dragged her off to a whole new world. Speed was at a loss of words. Life as he knew it had changed; he didn't know what to do; he didn't know what to think. The love of his life had been torn from him. The only thing he had left of her was the strawberry flavored lip gloss she had left on his lip when she kissed him goodbye.


	2. A Glimpse of You?

***Seven Years Later - Miami, Florida***

Rain poured down on the citizens and vacationers of Miami, Florida. For the CSIs of Miami-Dade County, their crime scene was degrading rapidly. Lt. Horatio Caine, Tim Speedle, Calleigh Duquesne, and Eric Delko hurried to preserve any and everything they could; their clothes were soaked.

Miami-Dade's Medical Examiner, Dr. Alexx Woods, covered up the body as fast as she could. Even homicide detective, Frank Tripp was doing everything he could to help. "Bag, tag, and photograph everything you can, but don't rush. I don't want anyone injured," shouted Lt. Caine over the rain,and the now present thunder and lightning. Just then, Horatio's cell phone rang; he was needed elsewhere; he left his CSIs unwillingly.

* * *

Speed, Calleigh, and Eric did the best they could in gathering any substantial evidence. Only fifteen minutes after arriving, they had to leave. The weather had went from bad to worse. "Do we have everything," Eric said.

"Yeah. I think so. We didn't take much out there, and we got all the evidence boxes," Speed said opening the hummer's driver side door. He hopped in.

"I don't think anything we collected is going to useful in this investigation. The defense could argue that the rain contaminated the evidence," Calleigh said somewhat defeated as she hopped in the passenger seat; Eric climbed in the back.

"We'll find something Calleigh. We always do," Eric said. Speed started the engine and pulled out into the busy streets of Miami. Rush hour had begun.

* * *

Traffic was bumper to bumper. They were going no more than ten miles per hour. Calleigh sat quietly in the front passenger's seat reading a magazine; Eric sat in the back watching Calleigh and looking out his window; Speed sat in the driver's seat tapping his thumbs on the steering wheel, willing the cars in front of him to move forward. All he wanted to do was get back to the lab, process the evidence, and go home.

Speed had worked three doubles this week; his whole body ached, but what he was dreading the most was coming home to Jenny, his girlfriend of two years. Their relationship had gone downhill after she begged him to take her to his parents' place for Christmas a month ago; it was a disaster. He didn't know why he agreed to take her in the first place; their relationship wasn't serious. Speed didn't think it was ever get serious.

The cars started to move, but quickly stopped because the traffic light had turned bright red. "Damnit!" Speed said banging his hand on the steering wheel; both Calleigh and Eric jumped.

"Speed… dude, relax. Anger never gets you anywhere," Eric chuckled.

Speed looked at him through the rear view mirror, and gave him a dirty look. Calleigh placed a calming hand on his shoulder and smiled; he felt somewhat better.

He turned to look out the side window. He saw a 1998 red Ford Taurus SHO next to him, but someone, a young woman, caught his eye in the bright yellow taxi behind the Taurus. She looked so familiar; in fact he didn't even have to think. He knew who the she was. Her dark brown hair was a little shorter from the last time he'd seen her; her eyes were the same bright hazel-green he loved so much. She laughed at something the cab driver must have said; he felt butterflies form in his stomach. Her smile, he could never forget her smile.

Speed looked back at the light, it was still red. He quickly looked back at the taxi; the young woman was leaning forward searching her purse for something. When he saw she found what she was looking for he narrowed his eyes; he wanted to see what it was, but the rain obscured his line of sight.

The traffic light turned green and the cars in front and to the side of him started to move; the hummer stayed still as Speed kept staring at the young woman in the car. He couldn't believe his eyes. He thought he was imagining things, but before he knew it she was gone; the taxi was out of sight.

Loud car horns broke his thoughts. "Speed the lights green," Eric said. He switched his foot to the gas pedal and began to move. He looked at Calleigh and found she was starting back at him intrigued.

"You want to tell us what you were looking at just now?" Calleigh asked.

Speed hesitated a moment. "Uh… I-I thought I saw two men arguing. I was just making sure… nothing came of it." And that was that. No words were said the rest of the way.

* * *

By the time Speed pulled into the lab parking lot the rain had come to a steady sprinkle; they were all thankful for that. Eric opened the trunk and started grabbing boxes when a hot pink Mercedes Benz pulled up behind him. The driver honked its horn. He turned around and smiled. "Hey Speed. Barbie's here to see you."

Speed slid out of the hummer and walked over to Eric. "What?"

"Barbie's here with her hot pink Benz," Eric said nodding his head in the direction on of the car.

Speed cursed under his breath. "Wonderful. I'll meet you guys in the lab…" Jenny had arrived. "What are you doing here Jenny? I'm working," Speed said coldly.

Jenny's long dark brown hair was pulled back into a loose messy bun; sunglasses were covering her hazel-green eyes. She scrunched up her nose in annoyance. "I came to see you, Timmy-"

"I told you not to call me that," he said sharply.

She rolled her eyes. "I know. I know. Only a few people are allowed to call you that. I wish you would tell me who-"

"That's none of your damn business, and I have a hard time believing you came here just to see me. You've only done that… what five times in two years, and every time you've wanted me to do something for you. So what do you want?"

"I'm having a dinner party at my place for my family. I need someone who can cook, because I obviously can't. I was wondering if you could come over after work and help me. Plus you can meet my parents and brothers and sisters."

Speed snickered. "You're kidding me right? Please tell me you're kidding." Jenny stared back at him blankly. "Oh my god! You are unbelievable, Jenny, you know that. All you think about is yourself and no one else. Do you not realize that I have worked three doubles this week, and I haven't had a day off in three weeks?" The started coming down hard again. Speed's hair and clothes were getting soaked. "I am exhausted!"

"I'm sorry Tim, but this is important. I really need you," she begged.

Speed furrowed his eyebrows. Jenny hadn't even heard him. He didn't even bother repeating himself. Speed was done with this relationship. "To answer your question Jenny, the answer is no. Go find your own damn food and cook it. I'm done putting up with your crap, and I'm done putting up with the way you've treated me." Jenny was speechless. She couldn't speak. No one has ever talked to her like that. "Speechless are you? This is a first... I'm done Jenny! You hear me, I'm done! When I get off of work tonight I want your shit out of my place. If it's not gone then it's going in the garbage or being thrown out onto the lawn." Speed glared at her a moment then started heading into the building.

"Wait! Tim please!" she shouted. "You're just kidding right? I need help just one last time please!"

Speed shook his head in disgust. "If you need help so bad then why don't you go crawling back to mommy and daddy? I'm sure they'll help you. They bought you your precious car didn't they? A simple dinner shouldn't be too much to handle." With that, he headed into the lab blocking out the screaming and yelling from, Jenny.


	3. A Little Help From Calleigh Duquesne

Passing everyone in the Lab, Speed headed straight to the locker room. He was furious. His day went from okay to horrible in a matter of seconds. Speed knew the three doubles this week and no off days were getting to him; he was more irritable than usual.

He slammed his locker door shut in frustration. He didn't notice the photo he hand hanging up on his door fall off. He plopped down hard on the bench and sighed. Speed felt like his life was falling apart. Jenny was just the icing on top of the cupcake.

The door to the locker room opened and Calleigh walked in. "Tim," she said in her sweet southern voice. "You okay?" Speed said nothing.

A moment passed and he snapped, "Does it look like I'm okay?"

"Hey." She went and sat down next to him. "Tell me what's going on. You know I'm always here for you."

Speed cracked his knuckles in frustration. He could start to feel his neck tense up. Calleigh was always someone he could talk to no matter what. Calleigh was there for him day or night. She was the sweet sister he wished he'd had. But there was one thing he still hadn't told her about, Lauren.

While Calleigh was comforting and patiently waiting for Speed to tell her what was bothering him, she saw what looked like a picture on the floor. She cocked her head to the right to see what was written on it, "Timothy and Lauren's Senior Prom," she silently read. She looked at him and wondered why this Lauren was never mentioned.

Calleigh leaned forward and picked up the five by seven photograph. Speed didn't seem to notice; he had his eyes closed. She turned over the photo and saw a younger version of Speed and the girl whose name was Lauren. They were standing outside in what she guessed to be his front yard. 'She looks familiar,' Calleigh thought to herself.

Speed finally spoke. "Jenny… she was a joke… I feel like my life is just falling apart, Calleigh. Nothing is going right. I think I'm seeing things that I know aren't there. I can't sleep at night. My head is spinning. I'm working ungodly hours. I haven't had a day off in three weeks."

Calleigh placed a calming hand on her friend's shoulder; he sighed. She set the photograph down on the bench and scooted a little closer to Speed. "Tim, you need to slow down and relax. Take a few deep breaths." Speed did as she said. His breaths were deep and sharp. Calleigh's heart broke. She had never seen him like this, and was in a way speechless. "Let's start with one thing at a time. How about Jenny? Why was she a joke?"

Speed massaged his temples in attempt to relieve the throbbing pain. He said, "Jenny was… she was never in this relationship in the first place. I wasn't either. I could care less what her reasons were, but for me she was there because…" He hesitated a moment then continued, "Because she reminded me of someone, someone who was and still is very important to me." Speed stopped talking as tears began to sting his eyes. That's when Calleigh made the connection. Jenny looked like the girl in his photograph.

Calleigh wasn't sure what to say or do next, so she asked, "What happened?"

Speed looked down at his feet and closed his eyes again. "I've never told anyone about this before."

Calleigh wasn't surprised that he hadn't told anyone. Speed kept his personal issues to himself most of the time. He was a hard shell to crack. She sometimes had a hard time getting him to open up.

"There was this girl. We were high school sweethearts, and right before we were supposed to go off to college together she was gone."

Calleigh swallowed hard fearing that the girl in the photograph had passed away. "What happened?" Calleigh asked again.

"She was forced to move away with her parents. They dragged her across the country to London, England," he choked out. Calleigh was somewhat relieved when he said Lauren – the girl in the photograph – hadn't died. "I know, it sounds ridiculous. You're probably wondering why I didn't just go after her or why didn't she just stay behind. You didn't know her family, but I kick myself every damn day because I could have gone after her. If I did then things wouldn't be the way they are… fucked up."

Calleigh's heart dropped. Seeing Speed like this broke her heart. When she spoke she chose her words carefully, "Tim, there's always going to be what ifs in life. I deal with it, Horatio deals with it, and Eric deals with it. Everything happens for a reason. You can't take back what happened, but I know how you feel. I can see it in your eyes."

"Nothing was ever right after she left," he said just above a whisper; Calleigh could barely hear him. She reached out and took a hold of his hand and squeezed it. "She was the first girlfriend I ever had… I was hoping she would have been the last."

Calleigh smiled a little. "What was her name?"

"Lauren Carry. I have a picture of her-"

"Is it this one," Calleigh interrupted as she grabbed the photo she had picked up when she first walked in.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Speed took the photograph from her.

"It must have fallen when you slammed your locker door shut." Speed smiled and stared at the picture. "She's a pretty girl, Tim."

"Yeah… yeah she is…"

Calleigh narrowed her eyes at her friend. After hearing this story she wondered if what he claimed he had seen earlier was in fact Lauren. "Tim?" she asked softly.

"Yeah?" He tore his eyes away from the photograph and looked at Calleigh.

"When you said you were seeing things that you knew couldn't be there, did you see Lauren? Is that what you were looking at when you, Eric, and I were heading back to the lab just now?" Speed nodded his head looking almost embarrassed. "Well, it was raining out that could have distorted your vision a little bit."

He shook his head no. "Cal, there's no way. Her smile, you can't mistake that smile for anything."

She furrowed her brows. "But Tim-"

"Calleigh, I know it sounds crazy, but I know her smile. That was her in that taxi… see I'm going crazy!"

Calleigh sighed. "No Tim, you're not. You're tired. Like you said you haven't had a day off in three weeks, and you've worked what, three doubles in four days? You need a break. You need to go home and get some sleep. Go ask Horatio if you can take the rest of the day off. If you don't I will… and Tim... you aren't crazy." Speed sighed and put his head in his hands. "Everything will work itself out. Your life isn't falling apart… I promise. You just hit a bump in the road.

Speed placed the photograph of Lauren and himself in his locker and shut the door gently this time. "Thanks for listening, Calleigh. I think I'm going to go find Horatio and take your advice."

Calleigh smiled. "Good. If you need me you have my number, and I'll be in my office." She gave him a tight hug before they parted ways. She hoped everything worked out for him, because right now she was slowly becoming concerned.


	4. We're Were Nothing More Than A Joke

Speed pulled up to his condo. He practically growled when he saw that hot pink Mercedes convertible was parked on the side street. "You have got to be fucking kidding me!" he said out loud. A neighbor sitting on his porch looked at him; Speed didn't take notice. Frankly, he didn't care what people thought about him.

Speed thought that maybe he could quietly sneak in without her seeing him, but he was wrong. "Timmy! We need to talk about earlier. I know you didn't mean it. You're just stressing out about work!" Jenny shouted.

The rage in Speed's chest began to build up. He could not stand to look at her for one more second. "Jenny, I told you to get the hell out of my life, and don't call me, Timmy! If you have shit in my condo then grab it and get the fuck out. We are done you hear me. We are finished!"

Speed walked up to his front door, shoved the key in the keyhole, and unlocked his door. He turned around to see a tear stricken Jenny standing right behind him. "Let's go. Get your shit and leave." He let her in first before he walked in; he shut the door behind him.

"Fine, if you're going to be like that then… then fine. I'll get my stuff and leave." She stormed into his bedroom and grabbed what little she had in there. Speed was particular about women in his room and in his bed. He felt as if he would be cheating on Lauren, even though they were no longer together; he had been holding out hope that he would see his love again someday. He felt a glimmer of hope today, when he thought he saw her earlier. He saw her face; he saw her laugh; he remembered her laugh; he remembered her soft touch; he remembered her kisses. Jenny surely was none of that. No one else could have that either.

Speed watched Jenny gather up her belongings and place them in a brown cardboard box she apparently found in his room. He looked at it and noticed it had Lauren's name on it. He looked a little closer and noticed it was the package she had sent him when she had gone to England for the first time. It had been filled with sweet treats, a funny t-shirt, a Big Ben keychain, and postcard with a little message to him. "You can't use that box," Speed said firmly.

Jenny scrunched up her nose and narrowed her eyes. "Why? It's just a cardboard box. It was on the floor anyway," Jenny snapped. "You wanted me to get my shit and leave. Well I'm doing that now!" She sniffled and wiped her nose with her hand.

"So it doesn't mean you can just take it," Speed said walking over to her. He reached for the box, but Jenny took it away.

"It doesn't have your name on it."

"Yeah Jenny it actually does have my name on it, so give it back to me. You don't need a box anyway. You get too caught up in those stupid romance/drama movies… just take the shit and go!" Jenny searched the box, and found Speed's name on it, along with Lauren's.

She narrowed her eyes again and said, "That bitch, Lauren gave you this box didn't she?"

If looks could kill, Jenny would be dead ten times over. The look in Speed's eyes was full of rage, anger, and disgust. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me! This is from that bitch you used to call your girlfriend before you met me. The one you're always looking at in some stupid photos and dreaming about. You need to let her go. It's been how many years, and she hasn't come back. She's probably out frolicking with a bunch of dudes anyway, and has totally forgotten about you." Speed reached for the box and grabbed it out of Jenny's hands; he was thankful it didn't rip.

He took the stuff she had placed in it and threw it back at her. "Jenny, just get the hell out of here. I don't ever want to see you, hear you, or talk to you ever again. And DON'T you EVER talk, and I mean EVER talk about Lauren like that. You don't know her. You don't know what she's like. You will NEVER be anything like her ever! You hear me!' Speed shouted.

"You are being such and ass hole right now, Tim! I love you and you can't see that. I thought I could help you move on from her. I know I still can," she cried.

Speed snickered. "You love me? You LOVE me?" She nodded her head yes. "Jenny, I find that very hard to believe. All you ever did was belittle me. I did so much for you in the beginning of our relationship hoping that it would help me move on, but after what happened at Christmas I knew you were a fake. I knew that you were a lying scheming, bitch. If you loved me then I don't think you would be fucking some other dude!" Jenny's eyes went wide with shock. "Oh come on Jennifer. I'm not that stupid. I know you were cheating on me. I just wasn't smart enough to end it then, and I can't believe I had sex with you."

"I ended that relationship. I'm done with him. I'm sorry, Tim. I didn't mean to!" Jenny continued to cry. Speed didn't know whether to believe she was crying for real or just faking it; he chose the latter of the two.

"If you love me then tell me why, right now," Speed stated firmly; he was still holding on to the brown cardboard box.

"I-I… umm..." Jenny stuttered. He had caught her off guard, and had caught her in a lie.

"Come on Jenny. Tell me why you love me. It shouldn't be that hard if you say it's true." She said nothing. "That's it, get the fuck out of my place. We're finished." He walked over to the door and opened it. "Go on get out." Jenny just stood in the middle of the living room. Sighing with frustration, Speed grabbed Jenny by the arm and began to pull her toward the door. "I said get out!"

Jenny scrunched up her nose again and said, "Alright! I'm going. We had sex one time, and it was the worst I've ever had!"

"Yeah, it was one time too many, and back at ya. Have a wonderful life, and if you need anything just go ask daddy dearest." She gave him a dirty look then started heading toward her car. Speed shouted, "If I find anything of yours in here I'm going to burn the hell out of it!"

"Yeah, yeah, fuck you, Tim. Have a nice life. Hope your whorey girlfriend comes back then you can see how much you miss me and love me." She opened her car door and got in.

"Yeah… in your fucking dreams, bitch. Now get off my property before I arrest your whorey ass for trespassing." Jenny started her car and sped off with squealing tires.

Speed slammed the door shut and went straight to his fridge. He searched and searched until he found a full case of beer. He grabbed one, opened it, and downed it in one swig. He grabbed two more and headed to the sofa. Speed knew he shouldn't be doing this on an empty stomach, but he didn't care. His life was falling apart. He downed the second beer in three swigs then opened the third. He drank about three quarters of it before setting it on the coffee table; he was being to feel more than just a buzz. The room around him became blurry and his eyes began to shut. Sleep, he needed that. Speed soon drifted off into a restless sleep.


	5. Home To Stay

Later on that night, Speed awoke to someone softly knocking on his front door. Thinking it was, Jenny, he ignored it hoping she would leave. He wanted nothing more than to just forget she ever existed; Jenny was a toxic person to him.

Just when he thought 'Jenny' was gone, the soft knock came again. Groaning, Speed attempted to sit up, but immediately fell back onto the sofa. His head was throbbing and he felt nauseous. That's when he saw the three beer bottles on his coffee table; two empty, one almost empty. He grabbed the third bottle and downed the last quarter of it and said, "Jenny, I told you to get the fuck out of my life. You made the past twenty-two months a living hell!" Silence. Then something came that he have never expected.

"Timmy," the woman behind the door said worriedly. Speed's head shot straight up. The headache and nausea he had been feeling dissipated. The only two people that were allowed to call him Timmy were Alexx and Lauren Carry. This voice sure wasn't Alexx and it sure wasn't Jenny's.

Speed quickly made his way to the front door. He hoped what he had just heard wasn't his mind playing tricks on him, wishful thinking, or just a dream. He fumbled with the locks as he tried to open the door. "Hold on," he said. He finally opened the door, and that's when he saw her; Lauren had come back. "Lauren?" was all Speed could say.

The night sky made it hard for him to make out the fine details, but he couldn't mistake her face, her body. She looked so beautiful, so grown up. Not much had changed about her appearance, except her dark brown hair was a little shorter and more grown-up looking than when he last saw her, and her face was more mature; she was absolutely stunning. Lauren was perfect.

"Timmy," Lauren said. She already had tears streaming down her cheeks. She stepped forward and the two embraced in a hug. After seven long years, they had found their way back to one another.

Speed immediately began to feel his aching body relax, and the stress leave his body. He took a step back and looked her up and down. He couldn't believe she was standing in front of him. He took a step forward and leaned in and kissed her. Speed couldn't help himself. Lauren kissed him back. They both moaned softly. Speed cupped Lauren's face and kissed her a little harder. He broke the kiss and looked into her eyes and said, "I love you. I missed you/"

Lauren's bottom lip started to quiver a little. "I love you. I missed you so much. I wanted to come back to New York so many times and-"

"It doesn't matter. You're here now. You're here..." he trailed off feeling a knot of emotions creep into his throat. "Life is going to get so much better." He embraced her in a hug again, and this time he let his tears cascade down his face; Lauren did the same.

A few moments went by before Lauren opened her eyes and looked to her right. There was Speed's neighbor sitting on his porch watching them. "Tim, let's go inside." She broke the hug and stepped back then added, "Your neighbor is staring at us. He's making me feel uncomfortable."

Speed turned around and saw his neighbor staring back at them then turned back to, Lauren. He gave her a quick kiss and said, "Let's get your stuff first. You're staying with me. I don't want you staying at some cheap hotel." Speed gently grabbed a hold of her hand and started walking toward Lauren's rental car, but stopped when she didn't moved. Speed looked back to find Lauren staring at him.

"What?"

She sniffled and wiped some tears away. "It just feels so good to be home, here in America, and to be with you again. Everything I did over in the UK was… I don't know how to explain it right now, but I did it for you, for us. I love you so much Tim, and I'm not going to let anything or anyone ever come between us again."

Speed walked back over to her. All he said was, "I know baby, I know."

Lauren popped open the trunk of her rental car. Speed went and grabbed the biggest suitcase. When he picked it up, and set in on the cement he began to feel dizzy and nauseous again; it caught him by surprise. He had gotten so caught up in the moment he had forgotten about Jenny, and everything else that had been on his mind.

"Tim, you okay?" Lauren asked concerned. The darkness outside concealed most of his features, but know that they were under a street lap she could see them clearly. He had dark circles under his eyes; his eyes were beyond red; he looked exhausted; he looked like he hadn't shaved in days; he looked skinny, too skinny.

"Yeah, I'm fine… long day at the office," he lied. Well, not entirely. Speed went to grab the other big suitcase that was in her trunk but stopped; he was going to vomit. He tried to suppress that feeling, but he couldn't. He let go of the suitcase and ran inside.

"Tim!"

Lauren was going to run after him until the neighbor that had been staring at them spoke. "Had a little too much to drink tonight. He had a rough night. In fact he's had a lot of those since I moved in here a couple years ago. He had some crazy bitch for a girlfriend. She kinda looked like you pumpkin," he said.

Speed's neighbor was becoming creepier and creepier by the minute. Lauren tried to ignore his piercing stares, but was having a difficult time. "Don't you have other things to do? Don't you have a wife or anything?" He shook his head no. Lauren lifted the other big suitcase out of her trunk then moved to the back seat. She wanted to get everything in one trip so she wouldn't have to come out and face him again.

She reached into the car and grabbed her small roller bag, a camera bag, and her backpack. She situated herself so she was able to walk without falling over. "You need any help pumpkin?" the man asked.

"No I got it thanks. I'm a big girl," Lauren said grabbing the handles on both her suitcases. She quickly headed into the house.

When she made it inside Lauren set all her bags down, and went back to the front door. She looked out one more time to see the man still watching her. Lauren shut the door and locked the door handle and the deadbolt. Lauren checked to make sure she had all her bags inside then pressed the automatic lock button on the car key chain; the car beeped indicating that it was locked. She went to go check on Speed.


	6. Getting Back To Normal

Lauren found him hunched over the toilet bowl, in his bathroom, puking or trying to. Nothing was coming up. The only thing that was in his stomach had been three beers. She kneeled down next him and put her hand on his back. "Hey, Tim you okay?" Lauren remembered Speed's creepy neighbor had said he had been having some rough nights. "Your neighbor said you've been having some rough nights," she said softly.

"Yeah," was all he could say. The urge to throw up was still there, but once again nothing was coming up. The beers had hit him hard this time around. 'What is going on?' Lauren asked herself.

Her eyes searched his bathroom for any sign of what might be going on. Nothing was in the shower; nothing was on the vanity; nothing was on top of the vanity; nothing was in the trash can. Lauren turned her attention back to Speed, who was resting his head on the toilet seat. Her heart broke again. He looked terrible. "Tim." He didn't answer. "Tim come on. Don't put your head on the toilet seat," she said shaking him a little. She could see his eyes were closed.

Speed groaned as he lifted his head up. "Come on sit back against the wall," Lauren said helping him sit backwards. Speed closed his eyes. He felt like his head was going to explode; tears were starting to fall from his tired brown eyes. "Honey, what's wrong? What's going on?" Lauren cupped both sides of his face and gave him a kiss on the cheek and forehead. Her lips felt good against his skin.

Speed swallowed hard and said, "My head hurts so bad and my body aches." Lauren didn't know if she should take him to the emergency room on not; she was becoming concerned. Lauren waited for his to say more, but he said nothing. Finding out what triggered this behavior was going to have to wait. Right now she needed to take care of him and make sure he was okay or decide if she needed to take him to the emergency room.

"Okay, come on let's get some pain medication and some water. You feel okay to leave the bathroom?" Speed swallowed hard and nodded his head. Lauren slowly helped him up off the bathroom floor, and over to the sink so he could rinse his mouth with some mouthwash. Or what little he had left. The bottle had just enough for one more use. "Where do you keep your pain meds?" Lauren asked searching his medicine cabinet. That was almost completely bare too. The only thing that was in the cabinet was a bottle of his shaving cream. It was still the same brand he had been using since she could remember, but Lauren was beginning to see a pattern in his place.

"I don't have any more. I ran out about a week ago," Speed said resting his hands on the vanity counter. He was beginning to feel dizzy again.

"It's okay. I think I have some in my purse. Come on lets go lay down on the sofa. Standing here isn't going to help you get any better." Lauren wrapped her arm around his waist and guided him to the living room sofa.

As Lauren helped Speed lay down on the sofa she noticed the three empty beer bottles on the small coffee table. Everything was coming together now. The smell of beer on his breath when she first arrived, the throwing up, and the massive headache and body aches he had. Speed was having more than just a bad day at the office, but again that didn't matter right now. She needed to take care of him.

Searching through her purse, Lauren unzipped the pocket she kept her pain medications in and pulled out three bottles: Advil, Excedrin, and her prescription pain medication. Lauren decided to give him an Advil and an Excedrin.

She headed into the kitchen and opened the fridge. She expected to find some food in there, but she was wrong. All that was in there was beer and water. Sighing to herself she grabbed a bottle of water and headed back into the living room.

Speed slowly sat up. He felt a little better after getting rid of most of the alcohol, but not much. He couldn't believe what was going on. If he was dreaming he didn't want to wake up, ever. He couldn't believe Lauren was back in his life. His thoughts were broken when he felt Lauren sit down next to him; his stomach growled of hunger.

"Here babe," Lauren said handing him the Advil and Excedrin and a bottled water.

He took the Excedrin but not the Advil. Taking Ibuprofen on an empty stomach wasn't a good thing, even if it was coated. Lauren was the one who told about him it years ago. "I'll just take the Excedrin. I haven't had anything to eat since…" he trailed off. He didn't know when the last time he had a real meal.

"Tim, when's the last time you had food?" she asked looking concerned. She took back the Advil and went to get another Excedrin.

"Uh, I don't really know. I've been so busy with work and well… things were just falling apart for me…" Speed looked down at his feet. He wanted to tell Lauren about Jenny, but couldn't bring himself to it. He looked up and made eye contact with her. Right then and there he knew Lauren could read his mind. He didn't want to talk about it right now, and she was okay with that.

"Here take this and I'm going to go call for some take out. I saw a pizza and Chinese takeout menu on your kitchen counter. You need to eat something. You look dreadful. So, what do you want?" He took the pain medication from her and washed it down with the bottled water.

"It doesn't matter. Both sound good to me," he said half laughing.

Lauren smiled and leaned in to kiss him. "I love you Timmy." She kissed him again.

"I love you too, baby girl." He kissed her back. The words 'baby girl' alone made Lauren's heart skip a beat. She hadn't heard that name in seven years. It felt so good.

"I like the sound of that. Now lay down and get some rest. Sitting up isn't going to do much good, and drink the water while I go order some food." She gave him one last kiss and headed into the kitchen.

Laying back down against the pillow, Speed smiled. One of the worst days of his life was now turning into one of the best days of his life. Lauren was back for good. Speed felt like life was quickly getting back to normal.


	7. Love ReKindled

Speed awoke, a couple hours later, to the soft caresses of Lauren's fingers running through his hair. He smiled. "Hey baby girl."

She smiled back and continued to run her fingers through his hair. "Hi… how are you feeling? Any better?" she asked kissing him softly on the lips.

"One hundred percent," he said cupping the right sided of her face. Lauren quizzically arched an eyebrow. "Okay ninety-five percent feeling better, but the two hour nap really helped. I haven't slept that good in years." Lauren rested her hand over his. Speed's hand felt so good against her skin. She missed his touch.

"I'm glad, baby. You weren't looking so good earlier… you still don't. So I think it's time to go to bed, and get some more rest." Speed smiled again. He still couldn't believe Lauren was here. "Come on let's go to bed." She stood up and extended her hand out to him. He grabbed it, but tugged a little making her fall on top of him. "Tim! What are you doing?" Speed didn't say anything he just pressed his lips against Lauren's and kissed her. She didn't pull back so he took the kiss a little deeper.

When they broke apart it was just for some air. Speed looked deeply into her eyes and blurted out, "Marry me." Lauren's heart skipped a beat upon hearing those two big words. She didn't know what to think.

Lauren so desperately wanted to say yes, but she hesitated. She didn't know if it was Speed's lack of sleep and stress speaking or if it was truly what he wanted. The three beers he had had before she arrived probably didn't help either.

"Timmy, there's nothing in the world that I want more than to be with you for the rest of my life, and I know that's what you want too… but you're tired and stressed, and have been going through a lot. You're not thinking clearly." Lauren paused. Speed didn't say anything so she continued, "I really want to give you the answer you want, but I can't. I don't want to wake up tomorrow feeling so ecstatic that I'm getting married, and then have that feeling crushed because you don't remember or don't feel the same way anymore."

Speed swallowed hard. His heart was crushed, but Lauren was right. They've already been torn apart once; he didn't want that to happen again. He would've done the same thing too.

Lauren leaned forward and gave him a ten second kiss on the lips. "I'll tell you what… if you still feel the same way after a good night's rest… I'll definitely reconsider my decision."

Speed smiled and kissed her back. "I'd like that."

The two laid in each other's arms for a few moments before they both made the decision to go to bed. 

* * *

The next morning, Speed woke up exactly one minute before his alarm clock went off. He sighed and shut the alarm switch to off. Looking to his left he saw that Lauren wasn't there. His heart sank. "Of course Lauren's not here. It was all just a damn dream," he said aloud. Rubbing his eyes in frustration he buried his face in his pillow.

"Timmy, you need to wake up now if you need to take a shower," Lauren said walking into Speed's bedroom.

Speed's head jolted up. He wasn't dreaming. Lauren really was here. "You're really here," he said smiling from ear to ear at her.

Lauren crawled back into bed, and snuggled up to him. "Of course it's me."

"I thought last night was all a dream. I woke up and you weren't there." He gave her a little kiss on the nose.

"Well, it's definitely not a dream, babe," she said rubbing his chest. "How are you feeling?'

"I feel a lot better." He gave her another kiss, this time on the lips. As he kissed her, Speed remembered what Lauren had told him last night. "I think there's something I need to ask you."

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Lauren asked smiling from ear to ear. She knew what he was going to ask her. Getting engaged only after returning just last night might seem too early, but Speed and Lauren didn't care. They knew they were meant for each other.

"Will you marry me?"

Lauren answered, "Yes. I will marry you." Speed sat up and started peppering her face and neck with kisses. Nothing could ruin his day.

After laying in bed for some time, Speed managed to get up and take a quick shower, even though that was the last thing he wanted to do. Speed wanted to stay in bed with Lauren all day, but that wasn't possible. Work was calling him. Horatio had left a voicemail and three text messages on his cell phone.

As he was about to exit his bedroom he stopped upon seeing his fiancée leaning against the door frame. He smiled, cupped her face, and planted a soft kiss on her lips. "I love you," Speed said.

"I love you back," Lauren said back. "Now you better get to work. I don't want your boss mad at me."

Speed laughed. "Don't worry he won't be, trust me. Lt. Caine is a great boss to work for."

"If you say so, Timmy."

Speed gave Lauren one last kiss before heading out the door. Today was going to be a long day. Speed also had to pick something special up after he got off of work.


	8. Life Is Looking Up

Lauren stood, with her eyes closed, where Speed had left her just a moment ago. She could still feel his lips on her lips. She was taken back to a moment in time: the first time Speed kissed her. It was one of the most magical moments in her life.

Opening her eyes, she felt tears sting the corners of her eyes. Lauren never thought she would see him again; she thought she would never feel his lips against hers; she thought she would never be able to feel his touch; she thought she would never be able to make love to him.

"Oh my God," Lauren said as she broke down in tears. After seven long years of being away from the man she loved, she had finally gotten him back. "Oh my God," she repeated again.

As Lauren's emotions continued to overpower her, her legs became weak. Lauren made her way over to the sofa and plopped down. She continued to cry tears of happiness.

* * *

It took Lauren some time before she could pull herself together, and when she did she searched for her cell phone. She needed to make a call, not to her parents, but her best friend, Margaret Coors.

Shortly after arriving in England, Lauren met Margaret at Oxford University during a new student orientation. Margaret had already been there two years, and was helping out. She spotted Lauren, and felt deep down she needed a friend and someone to talk to. After that the rest was history.

Once Lauren found her phone, she dialed her best friend's phone number. The phone rang and rang until Margaret's voicemail picked up. Upon hearing her best friend's voice tears started to fall down her cheeks. The answering machine finished and Lauren started to leave her message, "Hey Margs, I know you're probably at work and are busy…" Lauren trailed off mid-sentence. She felt her throat close up from an emotional knot. "Um... I just wanted to call and let you know… I just wanted to let you know I found what I came here for and…" She stopped again as more tears fell down her cheeks. "Just call me when you get this please."

Lauren tossed her phone back into her bag, and put her head in her hands. She needed to pull herself together. There was a lot to be done before Speed came home. For one thing, she had to unpack all her belongings, which was a lot. She still had more things back in England; Margaret was going to send them to her later on. Lauren also wanted to clean up Speed's condo, and fill up his fridge with food, but first she needed some fuel. It was time to revert back to her college days, which wasn't that long ago and eat some pizza.

* * *

When Speed arrived at work, he went straight to the locker room to gather the things he needed for the day. Not to his surprise, Calleigh was there doing just the same. Speed had seen her walking into the building when he arrived. He couldn't wait to tell her the wonderful news. "Hey Calleigh," Speed said cheerfully.

Calleigh looked up and smiled. She was glad to see her friend in a cheerful mood with everything that had happened yesterday. "Hey Tim! You're in a good mood. Did you work everything out with Jenny?"

Speed opened his locker and hooked his helmet on one of the hooks. He laughed. "Yeah, I did. She's never coming back into my life again." Speed couldn't stop smiling knowing that life was finally looking up, and that he had the love of his life back in his life.

Calleigh took notice, and immediately knew there was something else going on. "That's not the only reason you can't stop smiling is it, Tim?" she said walking over to him. She leaned against the lockers.

"No it's not," was all Speed said as he grabbed his badge and clipped it on his belt.

Grinning, Calleigh nudged him. "Well, come on tell me. Yesterday you looked like a walking dead man. Now you're wide awake, and you can't stop smiling. This goes beyond getting rid of Jenny." Seeing Speed with a smile on his face and acting normal again made Calleigh happy. She couldn't stop worrying about him last night, and even thought about going over to his place several times to check on him.

"Remember the girl I told you about yesterday, Lauren?" he said.

"Yeah. The girl in the photo?"

Speed grabbed his gun and slipped it into its holster, and shut his locker door. "She's back. She found me. It was her in that taxi I saw yesterday."

Calleigh's eyes lit up. "That's amazing, Tim. Oh my gosh!"

"There's something else too." He continued to smile.

"What's that?"

"We're getting married."

"What?" she said in shock.

"I asked her to marry me this morning before work."

"You asked her to marry you? Isn't that kinda early. I mean-"

Speed interrupted her. "We've lost seven years. I don't want to lose anymore, Calleigh."

A few tears crept to the corners of Calleigh's eyes. She was happy for Speed. "Well then, Tim, I'm so happy for you." She pulled him into a tight hug. "Lauren must be a pretty special girl then."

"Thanks Calleigh. And yes she is, but please don't say anything about it yet. I'm not ready to tell everyone," Speed said breaking the embrace.

"Yeah. Of course I won't tell anyone, but don't wait long. I don't know long I can keep this exciting news to myself," Calleigh said with a smile.

"I promise. I won't wait long. I just want Lauren to get settled in first, but there's one more thing. I need to ask you a favor."

"Sure."

"I was wondering if you would come with me on our lunch hour or after work and help me get a ring. I'm not really that good at that stuff. I don't even know where to begin."

"Yeah. I'll be glad to, but I'm sure Lauren will love anything you pick out."

The two embraced in one final hug before heading out into the break room where Horatio, Eric, and Alexx were sitting.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Speed's condo, Lauren had just finished her breakfast, and was looking for the garbage bags. She decided she was going to clean out the fridge and freezer first. It would be the easiest since there was hardly anything in it.

Just as she was about to start her cell phone rang. She knew who it was because the only person who had the number to her prepaid cell phone was, Margaret. "Hello," Lauren answered.

"Oh my God! You found what you were looking for and what? You just stopped like mid-sentence. You can't do that. Did you get your man?" Margaret shouted.

Lauren laughed. She missed her best friend already. "Calm down, Maggie! Yes, I found what I came for-"

"Okay! So what happened? How'd you find him, Where are you? Does he have a girlfriend? Is he getting married? Is he already married? Kids?" Margaret interrupted.

"Margs! Please, calm down and let me finish, and I might tell you, you goofball."

Margaret chuckled. "You're right. I'm sorry. Go ahead."

Lauren took in a deep breath and let it out then sat down on the sofa. "First, I went to New York, but Tim wasn't there. The house his parents lived in is now owned by a different family. They said the oldest son moved out of state, but they didn't know where. So I went to his parents' restaurant. I didn't recognize many people there, but I got my answer. Tim had moved down to Miami."

"Miami! You're in Miami? So jealous, right now."

"Maggie!"

"Right, sorry. Okay I'll stop talking. Please continue."

After Lauren had arrived in Miami, she went straight to the library hoping she would find something there, but she came up empty. Next she had decided to check the phone books, and after hours of searching she finally found what she was looking for, Speed's address. "So last night I showed up at his door and there he was. Even more handsome since the last time I saw him," Lauren said getting choked up. "But it looked like he was going through a rough time. His neighbor said something about it too. Before you ask what it was I'm not entirely sure."

Silence filled their conversation for a minute then Margaret said, "Wow. So what's going on with him? Girlfriend? Married? Kids? What does he do for a living in Miami?"

Lauren thought of an idea and a silly grin appeared on her face. "Well, he doesn't have a girlfriend, but he's got a fiancée and is getting married… but they haven't picked a day because they just got engaged. And no kids, but hopefully one day they will."

It took Margaret a few minutes to answer. She hadn't caught onto Lauren's little joke. "Aww! Baby girl, I'm sorry. I know you wanted to find him…" She trailed off hearing Lauren's laugh. "Wait a minute. Why are you laughing…? Oh my God! It's you. You're the girl. Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!"

Lauren busted out laughing. "Yes! It's me. Tim and I are going to be getting married. I can't believe it, Maggie! I've been dreaming of this day ever since… ever since we met."

"I'm so happy for you, baby girl! You've been through so much already, and now you're finally happy. I can't wait to tell my parents. They're going to be just as excited as I am." Margaret waited for Lauren's responds, but she didn't get one. All she heard were soft cries. "Baby girl? You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm great. It's just… it's just I'm so happy. I can't believe I found him. I can't believe we're getting married. I can't believe how easily everything has fallen into place. It's like those seven years apart never happened. We picked up right where we left off. It was so comfortable." Lauren wiped the tears away and sniffled.

"Love will always find a way, baby girl. I'm so happy for you. Now stop crying you're going to make me cry and I have to go back to work in five minutes."

Lauren half laughed. "I'm sorry. But to answer your last question, no I'm not sure what he does. He has to be at work early though. I think maybe a police officer because he mentioned that his boss was a lieutenant "

"Hmmm, I see. So did you guys get to talk at all?"

Lauren sighed. Their conversation became serious. "No. I took care of him all night. He was in really bad shape. He didn't want talk about it."

"So you didn't tell him what's been going on with you, and what happened after you moved to London?"

"No. No I didn't. I'm kinda dreading it even though... It's just really hard for me to talk about it."

"If he's as amazing as you say he is then you guys will be fine. You'll get through it, and you will have the most amazing life and family."

"I hope so, Margs. I hope so."


	9. The Ring

Speed had a chance to break away from working. The day hadn't been terribly busy, but he hadn't been able to take his longer lunch break he needed to go get a ring for, Lauren. Plus, Calleigh wasn't able to get away from the ballistic lab. She had a forty round shooting in Hialeah. He would have to wait until he got off work to get the ring.

Grabbing an energy drink from the break room fridge, Speed decided to take his laptop out and surf the internet. Speed had brought his laptop to work a few days ago. Tyler Jenson, the audio and video lab tech, had fixed some issues it had.

When Speed's laptop was fully turned on, and the internet was fully loaded, he got a notification indicating he some e-Mail. Speed clicked on the inbox tab and saw it was from his mother, Barbara Speedle. Speed chuckled when he saw the subject title: Jenny.

_Timmy,_

_Your father and I have been talking about what happened over Christmas. I cannot sit back and watch **her** treat you so poorly. She's taking advantage of you. She was disrespectful to our family and you. You are my son, and you… you need to breakup with her. Jenny is no longer welcome in mine and your father's house. You brother doesn't like her either. She stole the money Harry has been saving to buy a laptop. He cried for a week._

_Anyway, I feel better now that I've told you. I was going to call, but I didn't think I could tell you over the phone. Call me when you can. I know you're busy. Your father, Harry, and I are thinking about coming down some time soon._

_Love you,_

_Mom_

Speed clicked the reply button, and began to type his response. He could believe Jenny stole his brother's money. That was low even for her.

_Mom,_

_Don't worry about Jenny anymore. She's no longer part of my life. I finally realized that last night. I'm sorry for everything she's done to you and our family. Let me know how much Harry had saved up and I'll write him a check. I'm not going anywhere near her._

_All of that aside, I have something I want to tell you, dad, and Harry. Please don't freak. You have to trust me on this. I'm engaged to the most amazing woman in the entire world. I'll call you later on when I get off work. Also, be ready be ready to Skype. I want you to see her. I have to go. I'll talk to you tonight. Love you._

_Tim_

"Aww, how sweet!" Calleigh said.

Speed jumped. He didn't hear her come in. "Geez, Calleigh, I didn't even hear you walk in, and thanks for invading my privacy. I appreciate it," he said exiting out of his e-Mail.

Calleigh placed her hand on Speed's shoulder and said, "Just be glad it was me and not Eric. You know he would be asking questions. And I can't wait to meet her. She must be pretty special if she stole your heart."

Speed smiled. Lauren was the best thing that has ever happened to him. The seven years he spent wondering where she was over, she was his forever.

"Hey, do you still want to go get the ring? I got Horatio to give us a few more minutes. The other ballistics tech is taking over for me. I know how important this is to you."

"How did you get extra time?" Speed asked shocked.

Calleigh smiled. "Well, Tim, you just have to ask. That's usually how it goes."

Speed gave her a look and said, "Funny."

"All joking aside, I told Horatio you needed a longer break because of how hard you've been working these past three weeks, and I just mentioned you needed to take care of something that was really important. Also he told me to tell you, you have the next two days off. Horatio said if you came in he would send you back home."

"Horatio gave you a longer break too?"

Calleigh chuckled. "Tim, what does it matter? You get to go pick out the perfect ring for you girl, but yes he did. So you up for it?"

Speed shut down his laptop and downed the last few sips of his energy drink. He wasn't going to pass up this opportunity.

* * *

Speed and Calleigh arrive at McCauley Jewelers shortly after leaving the lab. The sun was shining brightly, and it wasn't too hot out. It was a perfect day in Miami. Speed opened the door and let Calleigh walk in first. He was feeling a mixture of emotions. He was feeling nervous; he was feeling excited; he was feeling overwhelmed; he was in disbelief. Speed couldn't believe he was getting married to his high school sweetheart.

Speed wandered around the jewelry store a little bit until an employee could help him. He saw Calleigh near the back of the store looking at some rings. He walked over to her, and that's when he saw the perfect ring. It was a cushion-cut micropavé 1.6 carat diamond ring set in a micropavé platinum setting. Little diamonds cascaded down the band. Speed knew he had to get it. It was Lauren's dream ring. She would always show him photos of the ring she wanted; this was exactly what she had described.

"Can I help you two?" a male employee asked. His name was Mark.

"Uh, yeah. I want to get a ring for my fiancée," Speed said not taking his eyes of the ring he spotted.

"Perfect. When did you two get engaged?" Mark asked with a smile on his face.

Both Speed and Calleigh's head popped up. "No! We're not engaged. He's just a friend and colleague of mine. I'm just here for support."

"My apologies! Congratulations to you, sir. Do you have an idea of what your fiancée likes?"

"Yeah. Can I see the one next to the blue earrings? It's the ring to the right of them," Speed said pointing to the ring he had spotted.

"Wow! Tim, that's beautiful," Calleigh exclaimed. Speed had excellent taste.

Mark opened the back of the jewelry case and pulled out the ring Speed wanted. "You're in luck. This ring is on sale this week." He handed Speed the ring. Speed ran his fingers over the ring. He didn't need to think it over. "How long have you and your fiancée been together?"

Speed looked at Mark. "It's actually a long story. I'll take the ring." Speed handed Mark the ring so he could ring him up.

Calleigh knew Speed wasn't going to tell him, so she took it upon herself to tell him. Speed and Lauren's story was too good not to tell. "They were high school sweethearts, and then when they were eighteen his fiancée, Lauren was forced to move to England. They were apart for seven years, and just yesterday they found each other."

Mark smiled. "Wow. That is a story. Congratulations again. Just because your story is so amazing, I'm going to take more off the sale price. Come over to the register and I'll ring you up.

Speed made his way over to the register, Calleigh behind him. Now all Speed had to do was get through the rest of the day. That was going to be difficult. Life was amazing.


	10. Lauren's Past

Speed was finishing up his case reports when Eric walked in. "Hey Speed you done yet. We're all going out for burgers and beers. You want to come?" Eric said cheerfully.

Speed initialed the last page of the report and said, "No. I think I'll pass this time. Thanks though."

"Come on, Speed. You've been working for like three weeks straight with a ton of double shifts. You deserve this. It's my treat, but don't tell anyone else. I'm not buying everyone dinner," Eric pleaded.

Speed chucked. "I appreciate it, Delko, but my answer is still, no." He clicked his pen and shut his report. He had a more important engagement to be at. Speed just needed to figure out how was he going to get Eric off his back without telling him about Lauren.

"Speed, you're free from Jenny. That's something to celebrate right there. I think everyone would agree." Eric was trying his hardest to get Speed to go with them.

"Delko," Speed said as he stood up. "I am not going out to dinner with you guys. I have something I have to do. It's important. I also have to call my mother because I just told her something that…" Speed trailed off. "Nevermind. I just have something important I have to do, and I can't come."

Eric looked at his friend quizzically. "Is everything okay, Speed?"

Speed picked up the file and started heading toward Horatio's office. He smiled thinking of Lauren. "See you in a couple days." With that, Speed left Eric alone in the Trace Lab.

* * *

Calleigh was getting the last of her things out of her locker when she heard someone open their locker a row ahead of hers. She immediately knew who it was. It was, Speed. The sound of him grabbing his motorcycle helmet of the top of the lockers gave him away. Calleigh smiled and grabbed her purse then headed to say goodbye to her friend.

"Hey, Tim! You heading home?" Calleigh said with excitement.

"Yeah. I better get going before Delko asks me if I want to go out to dinner with you guys again," Speed said grabbing his backpack from his locker.

Calleigh sighed. "I told him not to ask you. I said you probably wanted to go home and get some sleep."

Speed chuckled. "Well there's the problem." He grabbed the black ring box from the top of his locker.

Calleigh saw it and smiled. "She's going to love it, Tim, and you clearly didn't need me there. You knew that was the ring as soon as you saw it."

Speed put the Lauren's engagement ring in his backpack. "Yes I did. If you wouldn't have been there then I wouldn't have seen this ring. I was on the opposite side of the store."

"Alright. Alright. I'll take credit for finding the ring." Calleigh joked.

"Not so fast. I picked out the ring you were just near it," Speed said teasing her.

Calleigh couldn't hold back anymore. She opened her arms and pulled Speed into a tight hug. "I'm so happy for you, Tim. I don't think I've ever seen you this happy, and I can't wait to meet her. And I better get an invitation to the wedding. You hear me?"

"Calleigh? Speed could barely breathe. "I can't breathe."

She let go of him. "Sorry. Okay. Enough talking. Go home to, Lauren. Call me… call me whenever. Well, just call me before you come back to work. Hopefully I can meet soon," she said in almost one breath.

Speed laughed. What would he do without, Calleigh Duquesne. "I'll see you later, Calleigh. Have a good night," he said and walked out into the employee parking garage.

* * *

Lauren pulled out the last load of laundry from the dryer, and tossed the clothes into the laundry basket next to her. It had taken her the entire day to clean Speed's entire condo. She had been cleaning for almost twelve hours. Lauren picked up the basket of clean laundry and heading into the living room. As she went to sit down on the sofa, Lauren felt a stabbing pain in her lower abdomen.

By now, Lauren was used to the stabbing pain. She had been dealing with it for a little over eight years. Lauren set the basket of laundry down on the floor, sat down on the sofa, and curled up into the fetal position. "Ugh! You had to come now didn't you? I wish I had new female organs," Lauren said trying to relax. She wanted to avoid taking her prescription pain medication as much as she could, but the pain was becoming too much to handle. She started to feel nauseous. She hoped, by the time Speed got home she would be feeling better, but just as she thought that the front door opened.

"Lauren, I'm home," Speed said with a slightly raised voice.

"I'm in the living room," Lauren said trying to pull herself together. The pain hadn't subsided at all.

Speed walked into the living room, and saw his fiancée curled up on the sofa. For a brief moment he thought she was just tired, but then Speed had a flashback to his and Lauren's junior year in high school. Lauren hadn't been feeling good that day. She had been in pain all through the school day and most of the night. Speed remembered Lauren sitting on the sofa curled up in the fetal position.

Speed's heart broke. Lauren was still suffering from the pain eight years later. "You okay?" he asked sitting down next to her. "Can I get you anything?"

A single tear rolled down Lauren's cheek. She wiped it away quickly. "A bottle of water and my purse, but I can't find it.'

"Okay. What does it look like?" Speed asked as he started looking around his newly cleaned living room.

"It's a black leather snake skin print bag with a gold MK keychain on it, and it has light colored handles," Lauren explained.

Speed scanned the living room. All Lauren's bags were for the most part black. They looked like camera bags. 'She must be a photographer,' Speed said to himself. That surprised him somewhat. Why, he didn't know. "I don't see it here. Did you leave it in the kitchen?" he asked scanning the pile of black bags and luggage.

"I don't know. Just hurry and find it please," Lauren said hunched over. The pain was starting to make her nauseous.

Speed looked back and Lauren with a sad expression then headed into the kitchen. Right away he spotted it. Lauren must have brought it into the kitchen earlier in the day. Speed quickly grabbed Lauren's purse and a water from the fridge. He noticed that Lauren had cleaned that out too. "She must have cleaned the entire condo," Speed said to himself. "I found your purse and I got you the bottle of water. What else can I do?" He handed Lauren her purse.

Lauren took her purse and started searching for her pain medication. "Can you open the bottle of water, please?"

Speed twisted the bottle cap just enough to break the seal. He didn't want the water to come spilling out all over the place. Speed watched Lauren hurriedly search through her purse, and take out a pill bottle. Lauren's hands were shaking as she struggled to open the bottle.

Speed placed his hands over Lauren's and said, "Here, let me open it, babe. Try and relax." He took the bottle from her and opened it. "How many?"

"Just one… hopefully," Lauren said taking the pill from Speed. She popped it into her mouth and swallowed it with a big gulp of water. Sitting back, Lauren leaned into Speed. He kissed her cheek and wrapped his arms around her. His embrace felt so good.

Ten minutes passed before Speed spoke. "How are you feeling?" For a moment he thought Lauren had fallen asleep because she didn't say anything, but then she stirred and sat up.

"Better. I hadn't felt pain like that in years," Lauren said rubbing her eyes.

Are you okay? Does this have to do with the pain you were having eight years ago?" Speed asked.

Lauren half laughed and then frowned. "Yeah. I've been struggling with it for a while now, but at least I found out what's causing it."

Speed furrowed his brows. "What is it?"

Lauren's bottom lip started to quiver as she thought back to the day she found out what was causing her pain. "Um…" Tears started falling from her eyes again.

"Are you sick?" Speed asked fearing the worst. Lauren shook her head no. Speed felt somewhat relieved. "Then what is it? Tell me, sweetheart."

Lauren took a deep breath and exhaled. She didn't even bother wiping her tears away. "I have endometriosis. It can be hard to diagnose, but it can also cause other complications." Lauren's hands started to shake again.

Speed placed his hands over hers for a second time. He didn't like where this was going. "What kinds of complications?"

"Oh god! This is so hard for me to talk about," Lauren cried out.

Speed got up and pulled the coffee table closer to the sofa and sat on it. He was face to face with Lauren. She was starting to scare him. "Lauren, babe, what happened? You're starting to scare me." He could feel her hands trembling in his. He leaned forward and stole a quick kiss.

Again, Lauren took a deep breath and exhaled. "I found out I had endometriosis shortly after moving to England." Lauren let go of Speed's hands, and rested hers on her lap. "One of the ways a doctor can diagnose endometriosis is when a woman has an ectopic pregnancy." Lauren stopped taking a moment to gather herself.

Before she could speak Speed spoke, "You were pregnant?"

"I-I-I didn't know I was until a month after I was in England. I had started school. I had only known for about five days before everything just went wrong." Lauren began to cry again. "It was so bad, Timmy. I was in class and I started having bad stomach pain. Then I started bleeding so bad. Soon after that I passed out, and when I woke up I was in the hospital… I almost died because I lost do much blood. The doctor came in and explained what happen. He said I had had an ectopic pregnancy and the cause of it was because I had endometriosis. They ended up taking half of my right fallopian tube out. They said I was lucky because most women who hemorrhage that much end up having a complete hysterectomy."

Speed was speechless. He didn't know what to say. All he could think about was how he wasn't there for her when she needed him the most. Speed locked eyes with Lauren. He couldn't hold his emotions in any longer. He slid off the coffee table and pulled Lauren into a hug. "I'm so sorry, Lauren. I'm so sorry," he cried out. Speed cried for Lauren; Speed cried for himself; Speed cried for the baby they had lost.

"It's not your fault, Timmy. You don't have anything to be sorry for. It wasn't any of our faults. It just happened. There was nothing I could've done. The pregnancy would've been terminated anyway. A woman can't carry and ectopic pregnancy to term because the baby is in the fallopian tube," Lauren said still holding on to Speed.

"I know," was all he said.

Several moments passed before the two broke their embrace. Speed wanted to know more about everything that had happened, but decided that could wait until later, because he still needed to five Lauren her engagement ring. "I have something for," he said giving Lauren's lips a kiss. "I hope you like it." Speed pulled the black ring box out of his pocket and handed it to Lauren.

"Tim, what is this?" Lauren asked taking the small box. She had an idea of what it might be. Every girl knew what a box like this meant.

Speed smiled. "Open it up."

Lauren grabbed the top of the box and pulled it open. Her eyes went wide as soon as she saw the cushion-cut micropavé 1.6 carat diamond ring. "Oh my god, Tim!" Lauren exclaimed. This was the exact engagement ring she would always show Speed. He remembered.

"Do you like it?" he asked, but he already knew the answer. He could see it on her face.

"Like it? No, I love it. You remembered." She plucked the ring from its holder and slipped it on her left hand's ring finger. It's was so sparkly and gorgeous. It was perfect.

"So I take it that your answer is still yes?" Speed joked.

Lauren smiled. Speed's heart melted. "Baby, my answer will always be yes. I love you so much. Words cannot even describe it." Lauren leaned forward and captured Speed's lip with hers.

"I love you," he said kissing her back just as he cellphone started to ring. He reluctantly broke the kiss. He mom was calling. "I have to take this. It's my mom. I sent her an e-Mail, and told her I was engaged." Speed stole another quick kiss. "It's a long and crazy story. I'll have to tell you soon, but why don't you go take a shower. I know you do because you've been busy all day. When you get out we can Skype with my parents."

Lauren smiled again. "Yes I do need a shower, and I can't wait to talk to you mom. I've missed her."

"She might… I don't know what she's going to do when she sees you, but my dad might… I don't even know. All I know is she was crazy about you. She always said you were perfect for me." Speed chuckled. He gave Lauren one last kiss before letting Lauren go take a much needed shower.


End file.
